Joseph Hansen (writer)

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Joseph Hansen (born July 19, 1923 in Aberdeen , South Dakota , USA , † November 24, 2004 in Laguna Beach , CA , USA) was an American writer . His most famous character is the insurance detective Dave Brandstetter . Hansen also published some works under the pseudonyms Rose Brock and James Colton .

The first crime novel with an openly gay detective was published by George Baxt in 1966. For a variety of reasons, however, it is accurate to refer to Joseph Hansen as the founder of this subspecies of the detective novel. In 1992, Hansen received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America . In 1992 he received the Lambda Literary Award for A Country of Old Men: The Last Dave Brandstetter Mystery and in 1994 for Living Upstairs .

The Brandstetter novels

Between 1970 and 1991 Joseph Hansen published a total of twelve novels about the openly gay insurance detective Dave Brandstetter . After the original Christopher Street Day in New York (1969), the public reacted a little more liberally, and with the first novel, Fadeout (German title: Totengeld ), Hansen was at least able to convince the critics, even if the financial success initially failed to materialize.

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Dave Brandstetter is - at the beginning - an insurance detective in the insurance company Medallion founded by his father Carl . What in most cases begins as a routine operation - in fact, Dave always comes on the scene when an insured person has died under suspicious or unexplained circumstances - often turns out to be a complicated murder case. After the death of his father, Dave leaves the company at the request of the board of directors and works from then on as a private investigator. With his elegant demeanor and his friendly, but unyielding manner, he always gets to his goal, at least in his investigations.

In addition to his work, Dave also has a private life that is a little different from what he imagines. The relationship with the art dealer Doug is far from happy, and so Dave is always on the lookout - for the culprit and for a little continuity for himself.

Old and new editions

From 1983 to 1989 Goldmann Verlag published nine Hansen novels in German. The translations were done by Friedrich A. Hofschuster . Between 2000 and 2004 the Hamburger Argument Verlag published seven volumes in a new translation. It came from Friedrich A. Hofschuster and Robert Schekulin .

bibliography

Brandstetter novels

The German titles refer to the editions Goldmann Verlag (G) and Argument-Verlag (A).

  • Fadeout (1970; German burned fingers (G) / Fadeout (A))
  • Death Claims (1973; German no premium for murder (G) / death benefit (A))
  • TroubleMaker (dt. Each has an enemy (1975 G) / hostility service (A))
  • The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of (1978; Eng. The logical solution (G) / Tyrannenmord (A))
  • Skinflick (1979; German sold skin (G) / Nabelschau (A))
  • Gravedigger (1982; German three spades deep (G) / realm of shadows (A))
  • Nightwork (1984; German moonlight trucker (G) / night work (A))
  • The Little Dog Laughed (1986; dead dogs don't bark (G))
  • Early Graves (1987; Early Graves (G))
  • Obedience (1988)
  • The Boy Who Was Buried This Morning (1990)
  • A Country Of Old Men: The Last Dave Brandstetter Mystery (1991)
Single novels
  • Steps Going Down (1985; German descent )
  • Living Upstairs (1993)
  • Jack of Hearts (1995)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hansen, Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brock, rose
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American writer
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Aberdeen , SD , USA
DATE OF DEATH November 24, 2004
Place of death Laguna Beach , CA , USA